Beach donkeys in Skegness are ‘treated like royalty’

The moment it all became too much for a donkey handler on Skegness blasted on social media for sticking up for her boss when operators were alleged to have worked them during the heatwave without water and shelter. ANL-180730-154702001

Published:11:45Updated:11:56Wednesday 01 August 2018

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This is the moment it all became too much for a donkey handler in Skegness who had been blasted on social media for sticking up for her boss when operators were the subject of online comments which wrongly claimed they worked the animals during the heatwave without water and shelter.

In spite of visits by local authority environment officers and representatives of donkey sanctuaries and the RSPCA - and reassurances from operators that the donkeys were well cared for - a post and picture on Facebook was shared more than 32,000 times.

Julie Crane, welfare advisor for the Donkey Sanctuary in Devon who covers this area, described the negative comments on Facebook as a crusade by people who know nothing about the care of donkeys.

“Some of these people are from all over the world and know nothing about the donkeys in Skegness. I visited Skegness and the temperature was 27C and there was a lovely cool breeze. There was shelter if the donkeys wanted it and plenty of water and they were happy,” she said.

However, it was a member of donkey handler John Nuttall’s team who was personally targeted on Facebook. Mr Nuttall took the photograph when it all became too much. He said: “If a picture tells a thousand words then this certainly does. This is one of my staff so distraught by the abuse she’s getting via social media, just because she stuck up for my donkey business as she knows the picture that started it all wasn’t one of ours.”